


Underground Railroad

by gingerfic



Series: An Alphabet of Samcedes Stories [21]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, American Civil War, F/M, Slavery, underground railroad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 21:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5106866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingerfic/pseuds/gingerfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I didn’t think you were going to make it tonight, Mercy,” he murmured as he pulled his wide-brimmed hat tight on his head. “I was about to put out the lantern.”<br/>“The road is never predictable, Samuel,” she replied softly</p>
            </blockquote>





	Underground Railroad

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for historical context (slavery). 
> 
> beta by hkvoyage (although she said she liked it just as it was and other pretty things like that, so this is actually unchanged from how I initially wrote it. This was the first idea I had for this series, and the first one I wrote.)

Mercy crouched in the brush, carefully scanning the dark highway for any signs of other travelers. It was just before dawn, so travelers were unlikely, but one could never be too careful when it came to escaping slavery, and this was still Kentucky, so it was better safe than sorry.

Once she was sure that the way was clear, Mercy gathered up her skirts and motioned for the eight people behind her to follow her across the highway and into the sparse woods on the other side. They walked beside a narrow dirt lane, careful to stay in the shadows until they reached the small farmhouse that stood at the end of it. A single lantern hung near the door, confirming that the residents were at home, and that they had room for Mercy and her group. Mercy motioned for the others to stay where they were in the trees as she crossed the rapidly brightening yard to the front door. She rapped gently twice, once, then three times.

The door opened an inch, then a foot, and then a tall, slender, blond man slipped out of it, closing it gently behind him.

“I didn’t think you were going to make it tonight, Mercy,” he murmured as he pulled his wide-brimmed hat tight on his head. “I was about to put out the lantern.”

“The road is never predictable, Samuel,” she replied softly.

“How many?” he asked, with a nod toward the woods as they stepped off the porch.

She motioned for the group to come out and follow them toward the barn. “Eight.”

He whistled low as the others hesitatingly came into the yard. There were two men and three women; one man held the hand of a child of eight or nine, one woman carried a toddler on her back, and one cradled an infant. “So many,” he breathed. “Eight is a lot to hide at once.”

“It’s still never enough,” she said, her voice firm in spite of its softness.

Samuel nodded. As a Quaker, he was firmly opposed to slavery. That was why he and his sister, Quinn, had decided to become a safe house on the Underground Railroad. Kentucky was a slave state, and even though it bordered on free states, it was still hundreds of miles to Canada where true safety lay. Sometimes Sam wished he could do more, but Quinn frequently reminded him of the great risk they took even in just running a safe house.

Samuel cleared his throat as the tired group followed him into the barn and gathered around him. “The hay crop was good last year,” he explained, “so there is still a lot in the loft for hiding. There are some blankets in a chest in that corner,” he said, pointing. “My sister will help me bring out food soon and again this evening. I’m sure I do not need to remind you of how important it is to be very quiet. We have two hired men who help on the farm, and neither of them knows that we are a safe house.”

Mercy had gathered up her skirts and was already starting up the ladder to the loft. “Come along now, you will all be wanting rest.”

The somber group obediently followed her up the ladder, and after a few minutes of soft shuffling there was no more sign of the nine people hiding in the loft. Sam stood and watched for a few more moments before returning to the house.

\-----

“How many are there?” Quinn asked him from where she stood slowly stirring a pot over the fire.

“Nine.”

“Is it Mercy again?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t comment on Quinn’s knowing smile, and she didn’t say anything further about the matter. Instead she said, “well that’s more than I expected, but there is some leftover cornbread from last night that you can take out as well. I think there are also some apples in the cellar that we can send with them; will you check?”

Samuel nodded and did as his sister asked, and ten minutes later he was returning to the barn with a kettle of oatmeal in one hand, a basket of cornbread hanging from his elbow, and a small sack of apples. At the bottom of the loft ladder he called softly, “Mercy!” and a few seconds later her face appeared, peering down at him. He held up the basket and sack, and she took them from him as he carefully began his ascent while being careful not to slosh anything out of the kettle.

They laid the food out for the hungry travelers who eagerly dug in after tucking the apples and some of the cornbread into handkerchiefs and knapsacks to save for later. When they were done, Mercy followed Samuel back down the ladder into the main part of the barn. It was past sunrise now, and they both knew that his hired men would be here soon, but he didn’t let that stop him.

“Mercy,” he breathed, with one last glance toward the loft to be sure that no one could see them.

She fell into his arms, and he pulled her close, gently leaning down to bring their lips together. She pressed herself into him, savoring the touch and knowing that each small moment they had together could be their last.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

“I worry every day about whether you’ll be coming back to me again.”

“I know.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to stop what you’re doing, Mercy, but sometimes…”

“I could never make a life with you here, Samuel.”

“I know.”

“Even if I want to.”

“Do you want to?” he asked hesitantly.

“I,” she sighed. “I love you Samuel.”

“I love you too, Mercy. We could go away together. Next time you come through here I could go with you. We could live in Canada. Together.”

“I cannot abandon my people,” she whispered. “I know I can never save them all, but I must save as many as I can. It is the right thing to do. And you, being here—“

“Quinn would still keep it a safe house.”

“I can’t stop.”

“I know.”

“I will do this for the rest of my life, Sam.”

“I know.”

“And I hope that you will be here, ready for me, every time I come through.”

He pulled her into another tight embrace, pressing a lingering kiss to her mouth as they pulled apart.

“For the rest of my life, Mercy. I will be.”


End file.
